Here at Ambleside Townhouse we are proud to be able to offer great facilities for cyclists. When you stay with us we can securely lock your bikes away and offer washing facilities so you can clean your bike off after a hard day out on the Lakeland trails!
There is such a fantastic selection of bike rides out there it can sometimes be difficult to see the wood from the trees! To help we have put together a collection of some local favourites:
There are many exciting and well-known walks from Ambleside due to its position in the Lake District National Park. Ambleside is in the southern Lakelands at the northern end of Lake Windermere and is close to Grasmere, Rydal Water, to name just a couple of walks.
The town is a fantastic base to explore the eastern fells in the Lake District, and there are many Ambleside walks that you can do, short, long, high, and low, which means that it is a fantastic option to base yourself in the Lakes. There are easy and low-level walks around Ambleside too.
Click on the links below to see a selection of our favourite walks:
Ambleside to Grasmere Coffin Route
Jenkin’s Crag
Loughrigg Fell
Loughrigg Tarn
Tarn Hows
Wansfell
Various Walks
The World of Beatrix Potter is a top tourist attraction for families and is a short 12-minute drive from Ambleside Townhouse.
Explore a magical world where all 23 enchanting tales are brought to life, recreating the beautiful Lake District countryside complete with sights, sounds and smells. There’s chance to meet your favourite characters including Peter Rabbit, Mrs Tiggy-winkle and Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Visitors can step into Peter Rabbit’s Garden to see the cos lettuces that Benjamin Bunny nibbled on and the gooseberry bush where Peter got caught in a net as he tried to escape Mr. McGregor!
There’s a superb, themed family friendly café where you can treat yourself to a scrumptious High Tea and a Peter Rabbit Picnic Basket for the kids. And don’t forget you can take a bit of Beatrix Potter magic home with you at the end of the day from their famous gift shop. With plenty of great events to take part in through the year, a fun time is guaranteed whatever the weather!
Whinlatter is England’s only mountain forest, and it is a great place for walking and cycling with views across Bassenthwaite Lake and Derwentwater. It is a stunning 40-minute scenic drive from Ambleside Townhouse.
Fantastic for all the family, Whinlatter is home to outdoor activity centre, Go Ape. The Tree-Top adventure is suitable for those over 10 years, it is a high ropes course that includes a variety of obstacles and a free-fall Tarzan swing!
England’s largest natural lake is at your fingertips in Ambleside.
Windermere is a ribbon lake, filling a glacial trough that was created during the last Ice Age.
Windermere is a haven for watersports, head down to the watersports centre at Low Wood Bay, which provides boat hire, sailing lessons, flyboarding, waterskiing, wakeboarding, canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding.
One of those obligatory experiences in the Lake District is a good old-fashioned cruise on a steamer or smaller launch. These boats grant you unbroken views of Windermere’s fells, Belle Isle and lakeside houses, without having to move a muscle.
Low Wood Bay Watersports Centre has an enviable position on the Windermere lakeshore, overlooking the Langdale pikes. The centre offers a broad range of watersports boat & equipment hire and watersport activity instruction on the lake. Set against the backdrop of the Lakeland fells it is a great location for getting out on the water.
For an active adventure on Lake Windermere why not try paddle boarding. Lake District Paddle Boarding is Cumbria’s only dedicated Stand Up Paddle Boarding “SUP” provider in the Lake District.
They offer paddle boarding introductions and lessons on Derwentwater, Keswick, Coniston Water, Bank Ground farm and Water Head Ambleside on Windermere.
All SUP lessons and Paddle Board River Tours depart from Waterhead, Ambleside. The sheltered North end of the Lake is perfect for learning to Paddle Board, with sheltered bays and easy access into the mouth of the River Brathay.
Brockhole on Windermere visitor centre is a fantastic place for family fun and is a short 5-minute drive from Ambleside Townhouse. They have a whole host of activities entertaining for adults and children alike.
You can ‘Brave the Cave’, suitable for children 5+ the activity includes completing challenges in the cave, retrieving cave paintings, and finding your way in the dark!
The adventure playground is free and has activities suitable for all ages. The playground includes a picnic area, so a great place to enjoy a spot of lunch.
There is also, rafting, archery, bike hire, lazer clay shooting, boat hire, kayak tours, pony rides and much more!
You don’t even need to leave Ambleside to start the walk to this local beauty spot.
The circular trail begins behind the Salutation Hotel, and within a few minutes you’ll be gazing in awe at this 20-metre waterfall, which tumbles between moss-coated rocks.
The best time to visit is just after a downpour when there’s a real torrent, while the flow can thin out to just a trickle after an extended dry spell in summer.
In all the circular walk will take around half an hour, and on returning you may be surprised to find just how close you were to the town the whole time.
At Mountain Goat, they have been touring the Lake District fells since 1972, they have a variety of award-winning guided tours that reach every corner of the National Park. Their day tours depart from Ambleside, Bowness, Grasmere, Kendal, Keswick and Windermere Please see their website for more information. We have also added their brochure to the bottom of this page.
